Promise for
by Lord Archive
Summary: Desires come to light as the Lyoko Warriors decide what they want in the months after Xana's defeat.
1. A Family

Promise For...

A Family

By Lord Archive

Code Lyoko and all characters belong to Taffy Entertainment a Moonscoop Company, and was used without consent. All rights reserved.

* * *

"I would like to hang out with you and talk."

Such a simple sentence that had been e-mailed to him, yet one that filled Mr. Belpois with worry. In the past couple years his son had practically avoided him. He knew that really wasn't the case. His son had found something, or rather someone, that was more important than anything else. In that time Jeremie missed vacations, even going so far as purposely getting detention to be forced to stay at the school rather than go home on vacation. It was not until Principal Delmas called and inform him that Jeremie had a girl in his room well past curfew that he learned why. Before that call, he had wondered if his son didn't want to see him.

So, here he was taking his son to a football game on a Saturday. The fact Jeremie agreed to go to the game was proof enough that his computer geek son with sun starved skin was indeed troubled by something.

Jeremie's glazed eyes watched the men on the field kick around a white and black ball. "Dad... I kind of have a problem..."

"You didn't blow up your computer again, did you?" Mr. Belpois tried to joke.

"Nothing that simple I'm afraid..." Jeremie gazed at his toes. "You know that Aelita is an orphan. Well... we haven't told you everything. Some of it would sound unbelievable."

Mr. Belpois nodded shallowly, but said nothing.

"Aelita..." Jeremie swallowed. "Well, I first met her when I was searching for stuff I could use to build robots in an abandoned factory. She didn't even have any memories. My friends have been working to piece together her past and help her remember. She has a lot of her memories back, but there are still holes she may never get back."

"Ah, so that's what you've all been working on," Mr. Belpois commented.

"Well... yeah." Jeremie tapped his feet against the bleachers. "Aelita knows her mother died when she was young. I only recently learned that she has been having nightmares about it. Her mother died in a wolf attack saving her life."

Mr. Belpois flinched. "Ouch."

"Since then she lived alone with her father." Jeremie squeezed his hands tightly. "However there was a problem... he was a research scientist for the government. After something happen, he went into hiding. While running, Aelita was separated from her father. He was believed dead, but we still had hope he was out there."

"I take it you found proof her father is dead," Mr. Belpois guessed.

Jeremie nodded. "Yes. But the main problem is that he worked on top secret projects. I've found her father's degrees from universities; we've found her abandoned home with family pictures. Yet, I've been unable to find her birth certificate, or even proof her mother ever existed. It's like Aelita and her mother were never born."

Mr. Belpois raised an eyebrow. "How was she admitted into school?"

Jeremie looked away. "I... um... forged her identification... I couldn't just leave her sitting in that factory doing nothing. She's as good in mathematics as I am."

Mr. Belpois laughed a little. "At least you did it for the right reasons."

"But it kind of gets to part of the issue at hand." Jeremie sighed. "Aelita has nothing, absolutely nothing. No family, no money. Even her underwear was given to her by one of our friends. And now she desperately wants something she can truly say is hers. Dad, Aelita wants... she wants..." Jeremie gulped deeply. "She wants to have a baby."

Mr. Belpois stared at his son with wide eyes. "That... certainly is a problem. Have you...?"

Jeremie nodded. "I... I can't say 'no' to her. The first time she said she wanted someone to hold her, but it was obvious that wasn't all she had wanted. Later I asked her why... when she refused my suggestion to use protection and she told me." He looked up at his father with a lost expression. "I don't know what to do! I know we're not ready to start a family. But I'm afraid. Afraid if I tell her 'no' she'll go to one of our friends."

Mr. Belpois sat silently next to his son, uncertain how what to say. After a minute, he finally found something. "I'm not sure what to say. I'm proud that you at least realize you're not ready for that sort of responsibility. If you were older, I'd be encouraging you, but this is indeed too soon." Mr. Belpois sighed. "Aelita is certainly a wonderful girl, and I certainly understand that you love each other. Unfortunately, love isn't always enough. I'd like you to back away from this, even if it means losing her, but I understand if you can't. This is a decision I can't make for you, only make it harder and I don't want to do that. Whatever you decide, I will support you."

Jeremie nodded. "Thanks, Dad."

* * *

"Hello, Mr. Delmas."

"Ah, Mrs. Belpois, what brings you here?" Mr. Delmas greeted the woman.

Mrs. Belpois sat down. "I have an unusual request. My afternoon unexpectedly opened up and I have the urge for a bit of a girl's afternoon out. And since I was in the area, I thought I'd take Aelita Stone with me."

Mr. Delmas blinked. "Why would you want to take her out instead of your son?"

Mrs. Belpois smiled with false innocence. "Well, a few reasons. Aelita is an orphan, as you know, and has no means to get new clothes by herself. Not to mention she is my son's girlfriend and I would like to get an idea of where their relationship stands now."

Mr. Delmas nodded slowly. "I do see your reasoning, but this is, as you said, 'an unusual request.'"

"Last weekend, my son went out with his father for a guy's day out. They had a nice bit of bonding, but it was brought up how Aelita has nothing. She doesn't even have a mother, or any other adult female, to talk to about problems she may have. All she has is my son and her friends, and sometimes that isn't enough," Mrs. Belpois finished.

Mr. Delmas bowed his head. "Yes. I can certainly understand. I try to be there for my own daughter, but there are some things I can't do for her. As long as Ms. Stone is willing, she may accompany you." He got up from his desk. "We had best hurry to her last class before it lets out, otherwise it may be hard to find her."

Mrs. Belpois followed the principal through the school. They did not have to wait long before the class ended and the students filed out.

"Mom?!" Jeremie squeaked out in surprise.

Aelita walked up next to him. "Hello."

"Hey!" Odd added, while Ulrich grunted, "Hi."

"Hello," Mrs. Belpois returned the greetings. "Jeremie, would you mind if I borrowed your girlfriend for a girl's night out?"

Jeremie shifted nervously. "Ah... sure..."

Aelita blushed slightly while giving the boy next to her an accusatory glance. "Um, why would you want to take me out?"

"I unexpectedly have the afternoon off, and I wanted to have some girl time. Since I was in the area, I thought I'd take you," Mrs. Belpois half-explained.

Aelita sighed. "It might be fun."

* * *

Of course Aelita thought her statement would be a lie. She knew very well that this outing had nothing to do with wanting some 'girl time' but to talk to her about her relationship with Jeremie. Yet an hour into the trip to the mall, the closest they came to talking about it was when Mrs. Belpois bought her some new bras, the fanciest one of them was something 'Jeremie was sure to like,' as his mother put it. She was sure he preferred her without a bra at all.

As they stopped for dinner, Aelita had to ask, "Aren't you going to say anything about my relationship with Jeremie?"

"I've been trying to figure that out." Mrs. Belpois poked at her pasta. "At the same time I don't really want to think about such things."

Aelita looked strangely at her boyfriend's mother.

Mrs. Belpois sighed softly. "Aelita does the thought of having a baby scare you?"

Aelita shook her head. "Not at all."

Mrs. Belpois frowned. "Then you have absolutely no idea what becoming a mother means. It's scary in a way you've never seen."

"I assure you I know what it's like to be afraid," Aelita told her seriously.

"It's a different sort of fear than something threatening your life. A baby is completely and totally dependent on you. There's no running to the store for a minute as the baby may need you. And you can forget sleeping through the night for at least a year," Mrs. Belpois warned.

"Why are you so frightened now?" Aelita wondered. "I doubt I'm pregnant yet."

"You might not be... but I am." Mrs. Belpois laughed nervously. "It's why I took the afternoon off."

Aelita's eyes widened in surprise. "Does Jeremie know?"

"Michael doesn't even know yet. I only found out this morning." Mrs. Belpois smirked. "But it would be funny to have our children go to school together. And if you did have a baby now, the cost wouldn't be as bad. Though it'd be better if you waited."

"So you're not upset with me?" Aelita questioned meekly.

"No. I understand why you'd want to have a family. I just think you're going at it all wrong." Mrs. Belpois pointed at the girl with her fork. "The time I felt most alone was after I got pregnant and eloped with Michael. It was during my first year at university. I was forced to stay at my parents' home for a year instead of continuing my education. During that time I was so afraid that Michael would leave me as I would only see him during school vacations. He wasn't even there when Jeremie was born because he was taking an exam at school. That loneliness didn't end with Jeremie's birth, but only got worse. I desperately wanted help raising my baby, but I was left to that task by myself."

"Didn't your parents help you?" Aelita wondered.

"I did get some help, but mother didn't entirely approve." Mrs. Belpois tried to smile. "Dad was happy I didn't go for a big wedding, however he was more clueless on how to raise a baby than I was. Now, I'm afraid I'll screw up again."

Aelita blinked. "What do you mean 'screw up?' Jeremie is a wonderful man."

"And in the last two years I've seen more of you than him. Jeremie is what he is despite of me, not because of me," Mrs. Belpois said seriously. "When he went to public school near home, he had such trouble with bullies. We felt it best to send him to boarding school. It took a couple tries before he had discovered his place, and found true friendship and you."

* * *

Odd stared in surprise at who was sitting in front of the television in the recreation room. "Hey, Einstein, what are you doing away from a computer screen? Did Aelita promise to meet you here?"

Jeremie glanced up. "Hello."

Odd plopped down next to him. "Is something wrong?"

"I hope not," Jeremie almost groaned.

"Well if you're not going to spill it, how about I shoot it out of you?" Odd held up a shooting game.

Jeremie shrugged weakly. "Why not?"

Odd grinned as switched the television over to the gaming system and booted up the game. He handed Jeremie a controller before reclaiming his seat. "You've got the bottom screen."

"Whatever," Jeremie muttered.

Odd's experience in the game gave him the first three kills, but that was all he got as the boy next to him began to take demented glee in turning his avatar into Swiss cheese. "So, what's the deal with your mother taking Aelita out shopping."

"Dad must have told Mom that Aelita wants to have a baby." Jeremie pressed a button and used a cannon to snipe the head off Odd's character.

"Say what?!" was cried out by more than just Odd.

Sissi stomped in front of Jeremie. "I take back ever calling her Ms. Einstein if she's THAT stupid! You couldn't possibly be dumb enough to help her, could you?"

Jeremie hit the pause button. "I don't see how this is any of your business."

"You better believe it's my business! My Dad is the principal! If Aelita goes and gets herself knocked up, he could get into trouble!" Sissi ranted.

"She does have a point," Odd chirped.

Jeremie glared at him. "And how many girls have you tried having 'fun' with?"

"Oh, please. It's the chase that's the fun part. I never caught a girl I wanted, and walked away from the girls who wouldn't run," Odd defended.

"And if Aelita decided to go to you?" Jeremie accused.

Odd blinked. "So that's why you're being so grouchy to me. Listen, I'd never take Aelita from you."

"Even if she literally threw herself at you because I don't want to be a father yet?" Jeremie pressed. "Could you really say 'no' to her."

"If I could say 'no' to Sam, I can say 'no' to Aelita." Odd looked away. "My folks may not have any problems with being grandparents, but I sure as hell don't want the responsibility of being a Dad."

Sissi growled. "When I see Aelita, I'll give her a piece of my mind!"

"Does she have any left to spare?" Jeremie grumbled.

The door slammed shut as Sissi stormed out of the room.

"You're certainly brushing up on your diplomacy," Odd joked. "Just don't use it on Aelita."

Jeremie replied by killing Odd's avatar again.

"Have you and Aelita..." Odd trailed off.

"Do you think she would tell me she wanted a baby first?" Jeremie returned.

Odd laughed. "You two do tend to over think and discuss things. Then again warning you would freak you out." He tried to move into a sniper position, but his attempt to hide failed. "You know, I'd suggest letting Aelita find out what having a baby is really like by babysitting my nephew, but taking care of a baby had the opposite effect on one of my sisters."

"Which one?" Jeremie wondered.

"Louise, my fifteen-year-old sister, was caught having sex with a guy she wasn't even dating." Odd scowled. "His parents were upset, mine were talking about baby names."

* * *

"Is it really okay that you spent so much on me?" Aelita wondered. "You have so many other expenses coming."

"Don't worry about it. Jean and I have done more to make a living than having a life. We can at least use some of that to help our boy's girlfriend," Mrs. Belpois returned in a bored tone, indicating this was not the first time the question had been asked. "With the exception of what you're wearing now, you'll be able to wear them months into a pregnancy."

"What are you people smoking?!" Sissi cried out. "You can't actually be encouraging her! And what's with that outfit?!"

Aelita looked down and then at the girl. "Sorry if I'm borrowing your look, Sissi." Both girls were wearing a tank top and short skirt, only Aelita's was pink and while Sissi's was deep red.

"I'm trying to GET attention, you've already got it!" Sissi defended. "How can you be so STUPID to think having a baby is a good idea?"

Aelita bowed her head. "Because I was being an idiot. I've never dealt with a baby and I didn't know what goes with it. I can't deny I still want to have someone I can call family, who is really related to me. But Mrs. Belpois has given me reason to wait."

"Then what's with that outfit!" Sissi demanded.

"Waiting doesn't mean I can't have fun," Aelita replied mischievously.

"My father will hear of this!" Sissi cried out before running off.

Aelita folded her arms. "This wouldn't be a bad day to redo."

"If only such a thing was possible," Mrs. Belpois commented. "Was that Mr. Delmas's daughter?"

Aelita nodded. "She can be annoying at times."

Mrs. Belpois looked at the girl knowingly. "You should perhaps understand her more than others do."

Aelita blinked in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"She doesn't have a mother either," Mrs. Belpois pointed out. "Perhaps we should take her with us on the next outing."

Aelita pouted. "Can they really find out if I'm... capable or not?"

"That's why you should go," Mrs. Belpois replied. "I don't know why you think you might be infertile."

"As I told you, I don't know what happened after I was separated from my father. Anything could've happened." Aelita looked at her feet. "I'm just afraid that I might never have a real family."

Mrs. Belpois smiled sadly. "Don't worry so much. You're still young and have a lot of life to go through."

Aelita tried to smile. "I hope so."

"Why don't you go and knock my son's socks off?" Mrs. Belpois patted the girl's back. "And do try to remember what I told you."

Aelita laughed a little. "I will. Good-bye." With the farewell from Jeremie's mother, she ran off to the dorms and informed Jim she was back on campus before dropping her bags off at her dorm room. She then headed to her boyfriend's room. She was surprised that he was not there. Puzzled, she went over to Ulrich and Odd's room and knocked.

"Who is it?" a voice called out.

"Hi, Ulrich. Do you know where Jeremie is?" Aelita replied.

"Good thing Odd isn't here. He'd start calling you 'Ulirch' for the rest of the night. Afraid I don't know..." The door opened and the boy poked his head out. "Wow! You make that look better than Sissi ever did."

Aelita folded her arms and smirked. "Which I think upset her more... Wait, where's Odd?"

"He went to the rec. room." Ulrich frowned. "Why?"

"Considering what Sissi yelled at me, she could've only learned it by eavesdropping on Jeremie. And if you're here and Jeremie is not, then it could only mean he's with Odd," Aelita concluded.

"Hold up. I'm coming with you," Ulrich told her.

"Want to see Jeremie's reaction to this?" Aelita waved her hand over her outfit.

Ulrich laughed. "If you're right, there may be something more to see."

Aelita raised an eyebrow and walked with him to the recreation room.

"Ah! No fair! Run, damn it! Run!" Odd cried out. "Are you cheating? How could I repop right in front of you?!"

"He got me too!" Nicolas whined.

"This game is infantile!" Herve growled in annoyance.

"How does he know where we are?" Nicolas asked.

"Because he's watching all four screens at once," Aelita observed.

Jeremie froze and looked nervously behind himself, and his mouth hit the ground along with Nicolas's and Herve's as they stared at the girl's new attire.

Odd took the opportunity to shoot Jeremie's avatar repeatedly.

"So, I take it Jeremie won?" Ulrich grinned at them.

"Gah! We still lost!" Odd moaned as time expired. He then glanced up. "Hey, you do the Sissi look better than she does."

"So I've been told." She then batted her eyes toward Jeremie. "Like it?"

Jeremie wasn't the only boy nodding dumbly.

"I had a great time with your mother." Aelita moved and squeezed herself between Jeremie and Odd. "We'll need to talk later, but right now I'd like a turn at shooting people."

"Sure!" Herve and Nicolas chorused.

Ulrich snatched one of the controllers. "I'm with Jeremie against you two."

"Sounds like a plan," Aelita agreed.

Odd didn't particularly like the team-up until Aelita began warning him about the positions of Jeremie and Ulrich. Still Jeremie was better at keeping track of everything than Aelita, and Ulrich was a better shot than he was. The game was close, but Jeremie and Ulrich were still ahead.

Aelita kept her eyes on the screen, frowning at having been taken out by Ulrich snipping her in the back. "Oh, Jeremie... I forgot to tell you that you had better get ready for a new addition to your family."

The controller fell from Jeremie's hands.

"What?!" Ulrich cried out.

Odd blinked. "Already?"

Jeremie slowly turned toward her. "Aelita..."

"Your going to be a... big... brother!" Aelita held up her controller and pressed the button to fire off her attack, taking out her boyfriend's avatar.

Ulrich quickly refocused on the game. "That's not playing fair."

Jeremie blinked repeatedly. "You're not...?"

"Don't think I am," Aelita replied.

Ulrich fumbled with his controller. "You two are lovers?" he whispered harshly.

"Don't need to be quiet about it. By now Sissi let the whole school know," Odd replied evilly, taking advantage of the situation.

Jeremie's eyes were wide. "Wait, are you saying my Mom is going to have a baby?"

"Yep." Aelita nodded. "She wants me to go with her when she goes to the doctor in two weeks to see about my own sexual health."

"Oh... Wow..." Jeremie sat there in stunned silence as the game ended with Aelita claiming the most kills.

* * *

Jeremie quietly followed behind Aelita as they took the long way around to the dormitory. She didn't look at him as she broke the silence, "Why did you tell your father about us?"

The silence returned for a moment before he finally replied, "I... Well, because I didn't know what to do. We're not ready to be parents. I understand why you want to have a family, but I really don't think it would solve anything. You'd have a family, but that's all you have."

Aelita whirled around. "What do you mean by that?"

Jeremie sighed. "It's just that all you'd have is the baby, me and my parents. That'd be it. You'd be stuck living with my parents. You wouldn't be able to pursue a musical career. You would lose your education and our friends. You wouldn't be able to see Yumi, Odd or Ulrich. Hell, you wouldn't be able to see much of me as I'd still be in school."

Aelita's posture softened. "Your mother actually told me much the same. As lonely as I feel now, it'd be worse if I did get pregnant. You wouldn't believe how scared she was today, learning she's going to have a new baby."

Jeremie shuddered before he nodded. "You know how I feel about you. I have a real hard time telling you 'no,' but I have to say it for this."

"I'm sure I could still make you say 'yes.'" Aelita smiled coyly while striking a sensual pose.

"Aelita..." Jeremie breathed.

She leaned forward, placing her forehead against his. "As much as I want to make you say 'yes,' you're right. I'm not ready. I only thought about what I'd gain. I didn't think about the cost." She stole a quick kiss. "Yet part of me hopes that this is all too late already."

Jeremie swallowed hard, edging back from her. "I hope not. But if you are, at least we have my parents support. It's better than what Ulrich would get from his parents."

Aelita let out a short laugh. "True. While Yumi has her reasons for keeping him at arm's length, I'm sure that's one of them."

"We'd best head back to the dorms." Jeremie shifted uncomfortably. "Don't want to get in trouble for breaking curfew."

Aelita giggled. "I'll be thinking of you before going to bed as well."

"Right..." Jeremie laughed.

The couple turned toward the dorm but got no further as Principal Delmas stared down at them. "So, my daughter was telling the truth."

"Yes, sir." Aelita bowed her head. "I've been an idiot. Everything has been my idea."

Jeremie glanced at his girlfriend. "I am to blame as well."

Delmas folded his arms. "You will both be confined to your rooms until it has been decided what your punishment will be, if you're not expelled entirely."

Jeremie and Aelita paled and exchanged looks. As one they nodded before dashing into woods.

Delmas was taken aback by their reaction and tried to chase after the young lovers.

Aelita made it to the manhole cover first and lifted it for her boyfriend to scurry down. She quickly followed behind him. They both pulled out their cell-phones to warn the others that they were going to reactivate Lyoko to reset the day.

* * *

The elevator opened with Yumi leaning against the wall. "And why haven't you shut the computer back down?"

"Oh, hi." Jeremie continued to work at the terminal. "I thought since we turned it on I'd use it for a little project."

"What kind of project?" Yumi wondered, walking toward him.

Jeremie laughed sheepishly. "It's a secret. But you must NOT tell Aelita about this." He glanced at her. "Was there a reason you asked us to delay resetting the day for a half-hour."

"I wanted to find out what Milly thought about my brother." Yumi smirked. "She didn't believe me that Hiroki LIKED her."

"Even with him following her around like a lovesick puppy?" Jeremie laughed.

Yumi peered at the screen. "Why are you searching for that?" She blinked in confusion before her eyes widened in surprise. "You don't mean that's..."

"Yes." Jeremie looked at her seriously. "You can't tell Aelita. You wouldn't believe what I had to go through to learn this."

"I understand." Yumi patted the boy on the back. "I didn't find you."

Jeremie smirked. "Thanks."

Yumi began to walk away. "Better not hang around here too much longer. Aelita should be back from her shopping trip with your mother soon."

"As long as Aelita didn't do anything to shorten it, I should have another hour. More than enough for to program what I need," Jeremie replied.

* * *

The weekend came and Aelita was beginning to think Jeremie was avoiding her. She dialed his cell-phone.

"Hello," Jeremie greeted.

"Where are you, Jeremie?" Aelita demanded.

"Can't you hear the computer keys? I'm in my room," Jeremie sheepishly told her.

"I do hear you typing, but you're not in your room. I am," Aelita almost growled. "You're using the super-computer, aren't you?"

"Aelita... please trust me on this. It's very important," Jeremie pleaded. A buzzard sounded. "Oh, wow! I'll tell you everything soon. I promise."

"Odd wants to meet up at the Hermitage for some reason," Aelita told him.

"Go on ahead of me. I'll be there soon," Jeremie promised.

Aelita scowled. "You better be there."

Jeremie began laughing. "I just want to confirm this information. Then I'm gone."

Aelita snapped her phone shut irritably before closing and locking Jeremie's room with her copy of the key before heading off to the Hermitage.

The run down building made her frown. Here was where she spent years of her life, but only had a handful of memories. It was sickening that her home had fallen into such disrepair. Her fingers traced along the wall as she followed the once familiar path to her childhood bedroom, where she found most of her friends.

"It's time," Odd announced before he pulled out a knife and cut open his pointer finger. He then tossed the blade to Ulrich, who also cut open his finger.

Aelita's eyes widened. "What are you doing?"

Ulrich held out the knife. "You'll understand. Just cut open your finger like we did."

Had the request come from anyone else besides her fellow warriors, she would've refuse. Aelita winced as the blade bit into her skin.

Odd grabbed her now wounded hand and pressed his bleeding finger to her open cut. Ulrich likewise added his finger.

"We are your brothers and you are our sister," Odd and Ulrich intoned at the same time.

Aelita felt like crying. "I am your sister, and you are my brothers."

Yumi then grabbed the knife, and cut open her finger as well. Pressing her cut to Aelita's, both girls said as one, "You are my sister, and I am your sister."

"What's going on?" Jeremie questioned, panting slightly.

"We've declared ourselves Aelita's siblings!" Odd announced.

"You're not going make me cut open my finger, are you?" Jeremie wondered nervously.

"Nope. Brothers don't marry their sister. Which is why Ulrich and Yumi didn't do it at the same time," Odd joked.

Two glares were cast toward Odd, while everyone else laughed.

Jeremie held up some papers. "It actually may have been sort of redundant for you, Odd."

"What are you talking about?" Odd wondered.

"You're her cousin," Jeremie announced.

Ulrich bandaged his finger. "We know that's the lie we told the school."

"It's actually NOT a lie." Jeremie looked at the papers. "Marie Aelita Waldo, born April third 1982 in Vancouver Canada to Franz Hopper Waldo, who we also know to be Waldo Franz Schaeffer, and Antea Kathy Waldo. Now we know that Franz had changed his name, but I never considered that he might have changed Aelita's or his wife's name. And here I have proof that Aelita was born to a different name. That led me to check on variations of your mother's name and found Aneta Catherine Hopper who was the second daughter of Antonio and Henrietta Hopper. Their first daughter, Triela, married Vincent Lombardi."

"Wait! Those are the names of my Mom's parents!" Odd cried out.

"Exactly, because they are your grandparents. Aelita's mother was your great aunt, which makes you her first cousin once removed. It's the same with me and Patrick as his mother is my great aunt," Jeremie spelled out. "I had the super-computer run a DNA comparison to confirm it. Aelita is closely related to you, and is most genetically different from Yumi."

Aelita stared at the floor, barely registering the explanation of Odd being her cousin. At the mention of 'Marie Aelita Waldo' came an unbidden memory of her arguing with her father over her name. Marie had been the name her mother had given her and she had not liked using a different one. "Are you kidding me?" She demanded, yet knew his words were true. She still wanted proof. "This had better not be a sick joke."

"You can see for yourself." Jeremie handed her the papers he printed out.

The second page made her go weak in the knees. Tears weld up in her eyes. "It was true. That really was a memory."

Jeremie nodded sadly. "I'm afraid so. But thanks to that I finally got the information I needed to track down her side of your family. It's not easy tracking down ancestry through the female side."

Aelita began to sob as she continued to read over the papers.

"Hug her, Mr. Diplomacy," Odd whispered before knocking Jeremie to his knees next to her.

Jeremie nervously held her, uncertain if this was what she would want at the moment. "There's something more."

Aelita looked at him with lost eyes. "What is it? You're not related to me, are you?"

Jeremie grinned. "I've checked out to five generations out, and only Sissi might've come up as your fourth cousin."

Aelita let out a short laugh.

"However, with your family information and the computerization of records, you'll finally be able to claim your inheritance," Jeremie announced.

Aelita pulled away from him. "What?!"

"I should be able to make it possible for you to claim the Hermitage as your own." Jeremie smiled sheepishly. "You'd end up your own first cousin, but with the way your father kept moving around and changing names, yours included, I'll be able to prove that 'Aelita Stone' is separate and related to 'Marie Waldo.'"

Yumi grabbed Aelita by the shoulders. "Isn't it great? You really do have a family now."

"We can even celebrate your real birthday," Ulrich added.

"I'm sure my mother would love to meet her first cousin," Odd chirped.

* * *

"Hey, cousin, how you feeling?" Odd asked with a smirk.

Aelita looked up from where she was sitting on her childhood bed. "Strangely confused, actually. I know who I am now, yet it's all sort of messed up."

Odd shook his head. "You should've already known who you are. Names and papers don't say who you are. It's what you do. You are a brave, retired warrior of Lyoko, who stayed true to her friends. I'm proud to say you really are my cousin, but even if we weren't related by blood, meeting you has made my life better."

Aelita glanced at him. "It's when you say things like that you get girls to melt in your hands."

Odd sighed melodramatically. "It's a curse."

Aelita giggled.

"You going to be okay?" Odd asked.

"Of course I'll be fine. I'm just trying to sort through my thoughts. I only got to know my mother for a short time..." Aelita trailed off.

"And she was the greatest mother of all time," Odd asserted. "And one day I'm sure you'll be just as good in your own way. Just wait a while to be ready for it and don't die on the kid."

Aelita's face quirked. "You were doing so good up until that last part."

Odd let out a short laugh. "That's a curse too."

Aelita gazed down at the floor.

"You and Jeremie really are perfect for each other. You both put too much thought into everything," Odd groused.

Aelita shook her head. "You may think it's silly. That I'm no different than before. Yet right now I'm wondering if I should reclaim my birth name."

Odd blinked in surprise. "Don't you like your name?"

"Aelita is the name my father gave me, and because of him I lost everything. My home, my future, and any hope to not be dependant on help from people not related to me." She sighed deeply. "Marie is the name my mother gave me. And she died so I could live."

"Your father died for you too," Odd pointed out.

"Did he do it for me, or did he sacrifice himself to fix his mistake with creating XANA?" Aelita clenched her hands. "He was a perfectionist. He would do anything to correct any sort of glitch or error."

"Dying to fix a mistake would be going too far, unless it's to save the one you love." Odd poked the girl's forehead. "And in case you hadn't noticed, if you were never in Lyoko, you would've never had the relationship you do with Jeremie. You two were made for each other. Hell, I bet his parents support is only because they know you're the one and only hope he'll ever have to finding love. Not too many girls can be found in computer geekdom, especially ones as pretty as you."

"Oh, I'm a geek, am I?" Aelita jokingly growled.

"If the shoe fits..." Odd's grin dropped when the girl raised an old shoe she wore a decade ago in response. "What are you going to do with that?"

"To see if it fits in your mouth," Aelita threatened.

Odd laughed as Aelita chased after him.

* * *

"Is it done?" Aelita questioned as soon as the elevator doors opened.

Jeremie turned to look at her. "Yes. Aelita Marie Stone is now the technical owner of the Hermitage and all assets that Franz Hopper possessed until his disappearance."

Aelita cocked her head. "'Technical owner?'"

"You're not old enough to claim the properties yet," Jeremie pointed out. "If you had a legal guardian, they'd be in control of it."

"So, your parents will be in control, huh?" Aelita shrugged.

Jeremie blinked. "What?"

Aelita folded her arms. "You really don't talk to your parents much, do you? Your mother decided to become my legal guardian as a safe guard. Of course it won't be a full adoption so we'll still be able to get married, but it'll allow your parents to cover my medical health and set money aside for university tuition."

Jeremie shifted nervously. "Right... How did your visit to the gynecologist go?"

"I'd rather not talk about it." Aelita pouted. "Why haven't you turned off the super-computer yet? Aren't you done with it?"

Jeremie frowned at the change of topic. "There was something I wanted to check out with regards to your father. I wanted to make sure of things."

Aelita's eyes widened. "Is he alive?"

Jeremie closed his eyes. "Yes and no. He is no longer the man you knew. Actually it would be hard to call him a man at all, but more of a sentient computer program. His consciousness has spread over the Internet and bringing him back would be impossible. There's no way to draw his mind back into a cohesive whole to materialize him. Even if we did, he would not be complete as XANA destroyed part of him in the final battle."

"I see." Aelita touched the computer screen. "He lives in what he helped create."

"Literally." Jeremie then pointed at the running program. "However, I had one last task to make sure of. I need to know that XANA has been fully defeated and nothing of it found a way to survive my program... and that my program hasn't become a threat like XANA had. Tests are in progress."

"I see. But you know how Yumi feels about this." Aelita shook her head. "How we all feel about it now. We shut the book on that chapter of our lives, and it'd be best to leave it shut."  
"I know. Just making sure the book will stay shut on us," Jeremie affirmed. "Now did you find out anything at the doctor's?"

"Yeah. They use over the counter pregnancy tests," Aelita bitterly mentioned.

"And the test results?" Jeremie pressed.

Aelita gazed at him. "Not much chance that I'm pregnant." She then sighed. "I'll have to go back to do more extensive fertility tests."

Jeremie let out a relieved sigh.

Aelita sauntered up to him. "I've also gotten a prescription for birth control pills."

Jeremie gulped. "You have?"

"Unfortunately I won't be able to fill it until I've done those fertility tests. They want to harvest a few eggs to test their health." Aelita then grinned. "In the mean time we can use these."

Jeremie stared at the condoms in her hand with a goofy grin. "Right."

* * *

Author's Notes:

Finally posting something after having serious time issues due to work. This is part one of two which will be posted next week:

The Future Yumi is still keeping her distance from Ulrich and he wants to know why.


	2. The Future

Promise For...

The Future

By Lord Archive

Code Lyoko and all characters belong to Taffy Entertainment a Moonscoop Company, and was used without consent. All rights reserved.

* * *

Ulrich and Yumi sat in what had been Franz Hopper's den at the Hermitage going over their textbooks with finals looming for them.

"I think we were set up," Ulrich mutter, scrutinizing his mathematics book.

"Maybe." Yumi shrugged. "Jeremie rarely does show up for these study sessions, and he might actually need Aelita's help with what he's working on. And you know Odd wouldn't pass a chance to go on a study date with a new girl."

Ulrich nodded. "I guess. It still seems rather set up. Though I feel sorry Natasha, being transferred into the school weeks before finals."

"At least her French is solid. I had issues when I first moved here as I wasn't as fluent as I needed to be," Yumi pointed out. "And she seems rather used to moving around."

"Being the daughter of a Russian ambassador would do that," Ulrich agreed. "Though I don't know how much studying Odd will get done with her."

"Too bad there's no final for sex education, Odd would pass it with flying colors," Yumi joked.

Ulrich laughed. "Yeah." He then looked at her uncomfortably. Words dying on his lips.

Yumi sighed as she closed her book. "I've got to go home for dinner."

"I guess I'll talk to you later...," Ulrich slowly put his own book away.

"Yeah... Later." Yumi wanted to say something else, but couldn't. She knew what the risks were. Unfortunately he didn't know them, but only had an idea.

* * *

Ulrich had no destination in mind when he left Yumi, and somehow found his way to the Factory. He was surprised to see Aelita at the keyboard. "Something up?"

"Oh, hi, Ulrich." Aelita paid him little attention. "Jeremie, independent scanner confirmed. You are free to shut down the system."

"'Independent scan?'" Ulrich wondered.

Aelita nodded absently. "We set up a scanning program in the Internet to warn us if something like XANA was to appear, whether it's part of XANA surviving Jeremie's program or his program, itself, going rouge. This way we can rest easier that the past is behind us without leaving the super-computer on."

"I see." Ulrich nodded.

As the screen went dark from lack of power, Aelita finally turned her attention toward him. "Is something wrong?"

Ulrich shoved his hands into his pockets. "Who said there was anything wrong?"

Aelita pouted. "Trouble with Yumi, huh?"

Ulrich only turned away from her.

"She's still keeping you at a distance?" Aelita shock her head. "With XANA behind us, I thought she'd at least acknowledged that she likes you."

"You know, that's something I don't get. I'm not stupid. I know she likes me. She practically admitted to that before she asked to keep it to being just friends because of XANA." Ulrich kicked the trashcan that they had put in the room, knocking its contents onto the floor. "It's been months since we won, and still nothing."

"I'm afraid I don't know what to say. Yumi has her reasons, but she never told me what they were." Aelita shrugged as she moved to put everything back into the trash. "Though I suspect part of it might be your father."

Ulrich growled. "I don't see why he'd be an issue."

"Would your father be supportive of her if _something_ happens?" Aelita questioned seriously.

Ulrich flushed as he turned away. "I doubt we would get _that_ close any time soon."

"You'd be surprised how easy it is to lose yourself in the moment," Aelita warned with a blush.

Ulrich could only nod spotting a used condom that the girl was hastily tossing back into the trash.

Jeremie's head poked up from the trap door. "Everything should be shut down now." He then blinked. "Oh, hey, Ulrich. What brings you here? Yumi wanting to check on the computer?"

Ulrich shock his head. "Nah. But she'll be glad to hear it's been shut down again." He then shrugged. "I'll catch you later."

Jeremie looked at Aelita in confusion. "What's with him?"

"Yumi," was all the girl had to say.

* * *

Deja vu can be a dangerous thing. Despite having reset the day, William still remembered through his dreams an attempt to blow up the Factory. The last time they had turned back time, to keep the fact Jeremie and Aelita were lovers a secret from Mr. Delmas, Yumi used the chance to find out what Milly thought about her brother. It should have been safe. Milly shouldn't have remembered any of it.

The only problem was Milly did know what she had said, even if the girl didn't remember the conversation.

Hiroki had a goofy grin plastered on his face. "Yeah, it's all set for Saturday."

Yumi scowled, half-tempted to tell her little brother the secret of their move to France.

"Yeah... Ah... love you, too," Hiroki nervously said into the phone.

Mrs. Ishiyama frowned as Yumi's bedroom door slammed shut.

* * *

Ulrich's phone began to ring and Odd grabbed it out of habit. "Hello."

"Who is this?"

The boy frowned at the harsh man's voice. "I'm Odd Della Robbia. Ulrich stepped out for a minute."

"Ah... His roommate. I'm his father," Mr. Stern growled. "Has he found better friends?"

Odd smirked. "You can't do better than the class rep., a rich kid from Japan who is in a grade above us, and the number one and number three students at school."

"Does he still have any distractions from his school work?" Mr. Stern demanded.

That was not a question Odd wanted to answer, and was thankful that Ulrich choose that moment to enter the room. "Ask him yourself." He tossed the phone at his roommate. "Your Dad is on the phone."

"Why did you answer it?" Ulrich hissed, before putting the phone to his ear. "Ah, hello, Father."

"So you finally made some better friends," Mr. Stern commented.

Ulrich scowled at his roommate. "I have the best friends."

"Yet your grades have only marginally improved. Is there something that's distracting you?" Mr. Stern questioned harshly.

Ulrich flushed. "Not anymore."

"Aren't your new friends helping you?" Mr. Stern almost barked.

"They help where they can, but some of their stuff is beyond anything they teach at school," Ulrich shyly told him.

"Oh, really," Mr. Stern said disbelievingly.

* * *

Aelita knew she was far from an authority on relationships. Ever since Jeremie woke her up on Lyoko it just seemed a given that she would be with him. After she first materialized on Earth and began to live as a person again, and learned the concept of romance, she saw no issue with being 'Jeremie's girl.' They have had their problems. There were times she felt that Jeremie would be more interested in her if she had just been an artificial intelligence inside a computer. And there were also times she honestly considered breaking up with him and finding someone else. However, it was still true that she was involved with her first love, and that she was rather naive when it came to dealing with people. Despite that, she was probably the only person who could help Yumi, and that was because she was the only one that Yumi would accept help from.

"Is there some reason you dragged me out here?" Yumi questioned.

Aelita smiled sheepishly. "I just wanted some company while I started to clean up my home." She gazed up at the Hermitage. "This is going to take some time."

Yumi smirked. "So, I'm just here to help, huh?"

Aelita shook her head. "You don't have to help. It's my home."

"I'm not about to just watch you work." Yumi gazed at the unkempt lawn and broken windows, knowing the inside of the home was far worse. "As you said, there's a lot of work to do."

Aelita nodded. There was reluctance with her step. Despite that she had already worked on cleaning areas of the house and that she was able to inherit it thanks to Jeremie forging her identity to be her own cousin, this would be the first time she stepped foot here when it truly and legally belonged to her.

After setting themselves to task on the kitchen, wearing rubber gloves and breathing masks to protect themselves as they removed the worst of the filth from a decade of decomposition.

"Wow. Sugar covered sugar. You certainly had a healthy breakfast back then," Yumi teased, tossing the warped from age box of cereal into the trash bag she held.

Aelita smirked. "It was Dad's favorite."

Yumi giggled, but then sighed. "I suppose there's a reason you wanted me here instead of Jeremie."

"Do you have any idea how many times we've tried to clean my bedroom, only to end up using the bed." Aelita cocked her head. "Funny how that was one of the few times Jeremie started things."

"Too much information," Yumi complained.

"Isn't that what girlfriends are supposed to do with each other? Compare notes," Aelita pointed out.

Yumi looked away. "I have nothing to compare with you."

"That's only because you keep Ulrich from getting close to you. He likes you, you know. And everyone knows you like him." Aelita popped open the refrigerator and quickly slammed it shut while gagging despite the mask over her nose and mouth. "We'll have to throw the whole thing out."

"What a lovely smell you've discovered." Yumi covered her masked face, trying to keep herself from vomiting. "And Aelita, I have my reasons."

"But you won't tell anyone what they are," Aelita returned.

"There are things I don't want Ulrich to find out," Yumi admitted.

Aelita put her hands on her hips. "He's the one who needs to know. Yumi, he might not wait until you're ready."

Yumi clenched her hands. "I don't expect him to. It's just that I can't be his girlfriend yet."

"Why not?" Aelita demanded.

"Because I don't want to lose everything again!" Yumi shouted.

Aelita blinked dumbly. "'Again?'"

Yumi's eyes widened before she turned and fled the house.

* * *

"That was an amazing movie!" a blond-haired Russian girl cheered as she arrived at Kadic with her date.

"Certainly was, Natasha," Odd agreed. He kicked the air a few times. "Though I could fight better."

"I'm sure you could." Natasha giggled as she pointed at the ground. "But grasshopper needs to be more aware of his surroundings."

"Huh?" Odd made a disgusted face. "Ugh! Dog shit!" He took his shoe off and began to scrape away the crud. He then looked sheepishly at her. "Ah. Sorry."

"Nothing to be sorry for. I wouldn't want to walk around with that on my shoe," Natasha replied innocently.

"You're not bothered by my foot odor?" Odd questioned nervously.

Natasha shrugged. "I wouldn't know. I can't smell."

Odd looked at her strangely. "You've got a cold or something?"

"Something in the form of being born without being able to smell," Natasha told him neutrally. "It's kind of like being blind, but few people understand it."

"Oh, I wouldn't know about that. There was a time I couldn't smell or feel anything except pain. It got real annoying. And I only had a taste of it," Odd shuddered, with only being able to see and hear things on Lyoko, it made detecting ambushes rather difficult when you couldn't feel the ground shake from heavy movement or smell anything on non-existent wind.

"It's not just annoying." Natasha frowned. "You try living without know what food smells like. Having friends or even family say 'that smells delicious' and yet I can't even tell if milk has gone bad."

"Living with challenges makes us stronger," Odd said in strangely sagely matter.

"Just what do you think you're doing?!" Jim howled.

"Huh?" Odd spun around. He didn't see where the gym teacher was, but curiosity grabbed hold of him. When he got near enough to spot Jim, he also saw the cause of the outburst.

"Those two are in deep trouble." Natasha glanced at her date. "Don't get any ideas."

Odd could only nod as he saw Hiroki's hand retreat from under Milly's skirt so the boy could pull up his pants. "I suspect he's got more to fear from his sister than anyone else."

* * *

Being outside on a sunny Saturday afternoon felt great, even if the kids were focusing on studying for upcoming tests.

"Ah, who said 'Let them eat cake?'" Aelita questioned.

Ulrich almost fell over. "You live in France and you don't know that?"

Aelita pointed at her head. "Sorry, but I forgot every history class I had as a kid."

Yumi snapped her textbook shut and walked off.

"What's with her?" Ulrich wondered.

"Won't say," Aelita returned.

"You finally know something?" Ulrich asked.

"I wouldn't say I know anything," Aelita said firmly.

Yumi paused, overhearing the comment. She was a little surprised that what she had blurted out hadn't been repeated. Then again, her friend might not have understood what she meant. She didn't get much farther before Odd cried out her name.

"There's a BIG problem!" Odd called out.

Yumi sighed. "What sort of problem?"

Odd ran up to her and whispered loudly, "Your brother was just caught with Milly."

Yumi folded her arms. "Well, he is dating her."

Odd shook his head. "I mean CAUGHT with Milly, as in pants down caught."

"WHAT?!" Yumi cried out. She spun around. "Aelita, I need your help!"

The pink haired girl closed her History book and dashed over to her friend, Ulrich trailing behind her.

"I don't believe I'm asking this, but I need today to be reset," Yumi demanded.

"Why?" Aelita wondered.

"Let's just say Hiroki got caught with his pants down with Milly," Odd sheepishly joked.

Ulrich whistled. "He works fast. What sort of trouble is he likely to get into."

Yumi folded her arms. "My parents would accept expulsion, and Dad would request a transfer to another position for work."

Aelita frowned. "I... see."

Ulrich looked confused. "How would you know that?"

"I... just do. We've got to prevent Hiroki from ever getting that far with Milly," Yumi demanded.

Aelita slowly shook her head. "Sex is a genie you can't keep bottled up, especially once you open it. You might stop him today, but what about tomorrow or the next day?"

"I'll make him understand what will happen. That to stay with Milly, he can't touch her," Yumi vowed.

Ulrich's face hardened. "Is that why you won't go out with me? You're afraid that your parents wouldn't approve of you dating?"

Yumi took a step back and nodded.

Aelita sighed. "Jeremie and I will get the computer ready, however I suggest finding out what sort of trouble will be caused first. We have about twenty-three hours to do something, right?"

Odd raised his watch. "I can do that one better. Twenty-three hours and thirty-two minutes would be the cut off time. At that point I'd be in position to distract Jim before he could spot Hiroki with Milly."

Aelita nodded. "Good. Then if we find out Yumi is right about Hiroki's punishment, we can stop him from getting in trouble in the first place."

Yumi reluctantly agreed.

* * *

"Ah, Mr. Stern, what brings you here today?" Mr. Delmas greeted. "Your son has had a marked improvement over the past few months. I see no issue with him passing any of his upcoming exams and advancing to the next level."

Mr. Stern folded his arms. "Advancing is fine, but what about when he finishes Kadic? What kind of future does he have?"

Mr. Delmas smiled. "It is so nice to see a parent actually concerned with their child's wellbeing. So many parents just drop off their children and can't be bothered with them except for the holidays."

"That isn't what I asked," Mr. Stern pointed out harshly.

"Right." Mr. Delmas coughed. "Well, at this time, only a handful of the students have any real idea of what they want to do with their lives. And many times what they're interested in now is not what they end up doing."

"In other words, he doesn't have a secure future," Mr. Stern growled.

"No child's future is truly secure. Even our number one student, Jeremie Belpois, who could teach classes in computer programming, doesn't have a guaranteed future. Anything could happen to change his future," Mr. Delmas told him. "At your son's age, it's more about looking at the options than picking one."

"And what sort of 'options' is he looking at?" Mr. Stern wondered.

"I can't be sure." Mr. Delmas smiled sheepishly. "I do have hundreds of students to look after. Though I am more aware of your son and his friends than most students."

Mr. Stern raised an eyebrow. "Why is that?"

"Well, he is friends with Jeremie Belpois who, as I mentioned, is our top student, along with Aelita Stone who has a strong scientific mind and Odd Della Robbia the class representative." Mr. Delmas shook his head. "They, along with Yumi Ishiyama, represent the best the school has to offer... though they are not without issues."

Mr. Stern glared. "I see."

A fist pounded at the door.

"Sorry. No one was supposed to interrupt us." Mr. Delmas got up and went to the door. He scowled at the man standing there. "What is it Jim?"

"I'm sorry to interrupt, however we have a bit of a situation." Jim motioned to the two shy and embarrassed children behind him. "These two decided to practice sex ed. on each other."

"Hiroki Ishiyama and Milly Solovieff." Mr. Delmas rubbed his forehead. "Nicole, contact their parents. We will need to discuss this with them."

"Yes, sir." Nicole nodded, casting a baleful glare at the gym teacher.

"I see you are busy." Mr. Stern stood up. He then looked at the boy. "Yumi is your sister?" With a nod in reply, he almost barked, "Is she dating anyone?"

"Ah, Ulrich, sort of," Hiroki squeaked out.

"Mr. Stern, this has nothing to do with your son. I'm afraid I'll be busy for a while." Mr. Delmas escorted the man out of the room. He glanced down at the two kids. "This is a problem."

* * *

Jeremie mentally went over what he packed into his bag. His history textbook, laptop, condoms, change of clothes, and a few snacks were all stored away in case he failed to return to his room. Aelita could be very distracting when she wanted to be.

The boy paused when he saw Milly's roommate, Tamiya, curled up into a ball on a bench. He could only guess that she found out the trouble her best friend was in. However, he raised an eyebrow when Jim strode straight to her.

"Thank you, Diop. You did right to warn me about what your roommate was getting into," Jim grunted in approval.

Tamiya looked up at the teacher. "What will happen to Milly?"

Jim folded his arms. "If it was up to me, both Ishiyama and her would be finding new and separate schools to attend."

Tamiya's eyes went wide. "She could be expelled?!"

Jim nodded. "This isn't a minor infraction of school rules. There could even be legal action."

Tamiya blinked in confusion. "Huh?"

"Ishiyama is still only twelve, while Solovieff just turned fourteen, right? That puts her in much worse situation as he is more likely to be viewed as the victim, though both could be seen as guilty of statutory rape," Jim informed gloomily. "I wouldn't worry about that. It's unlikely the police will be brought in on this unless one of the parents decide to go that route considering both of the kids would be arrested."

Tears welled up into Tamiya's eyes. "That isn't what I wanted. I wanted my friend back, not this."

Jim softened. "That isn't a good reason. It may not seem like it right now, but you still did the right thing. You may lose Solovieff's friendship over this, but you have helped her. If she continued to do such things, she could've ruined her future. Her dreams of being a journalist would never happen if she had an 'accident.'"

Tamiya got off the bench and ran away sobbing uncontrollably.

Jim shook his head and looked around, his eyes focusing on the boy. "Belpois...."

Jeremie laughed nervously. "I already knew about Hiroki. Milly won't hear about this from me."

Jim grunted as he nodded.

* * *

Ulrich shook his head. "Can you please sit still?"

"I hate doing nothing," Yumi snapped at him.

"Look, I certainly hate it when other people go and decide my future for me, but fretting over it won't help anything." Ulrich moved and put his hands on her shoulders. "Think about what you can do to convince your parents not to move away because of what Hiroki did. Or at least let you stay here. This is a boarding school after all."

"Nothing I did or thought about changed moving to France." Yumi looked down. "Now I want to stay here, and that is being taken away." She clenched her fists. "It almost makes me want to be more guilty than Hiroki."

Ulrich's face instantly turned deep red and he began to stutter.

"There you are, boy," Mr. Stern growled out.

Ulrich spun around. "Dad?! What are you doing here?!"

Mr. Stern folded his arms. "I should be asking you why you're spending time with a girl with your grades. You're here to make your future, not ruin it."

Ulrich clenched his fists. "Sorry if helping a _friend_ isn't important enough for you."

"You don't need a friend like her. I'm not about to help with any bastard child she might claim is yours," Mr. Stern sneered.

Ulrich didn't think. He could barely see. All he suddenly knew his hand was planted into his father's gut. "Don't you DARE say anything like that about Yumi! She would NEVER go that far. I haven't even kissed her, and you... and you..." He spun around and ran off.

Mr. Stern coughed, hunched over and was in serious pain. His son may not be the scholar, but that punch was far stronger than any he received as a kid.

Yumi glared death at the man. "For someone who harps on Ulrich to study and learn, you certainly act stupidly without knowing what the fuck is going on. I like your son, yes. But I understand very well that my future, not his, is at greater risk if we were to have a relationship. We haven't even been on a single date."

"Oh, really," Mr. Stern shot at her disbelievingly. "And why should I believe that when your brother is in trouble right now for not keeping his pants on."

"Because I am NOT my brother, and I frankly want to kill him at the moment. Because if he gets expelled and transferred to a different school, I would find myself going with him. Leaving not just Ulrich, but all of my friends behind." Yumi poked the man's chest. "I've had to leave everything I care for once already. I don't want to do it again."

Mr. Stern appraised the girl. "Ulrich needs to care about his future, and not be distracted by girls."

"He's a teenager. He's going to be distracted by girls," Yumi deadpanned. "And do you honestly think I like sitting here rehashing French history when I'm studying American history? If he doesn't follow me into college, the chances of us ever getting married would be zero. And _IF_ I have a moment of temporary stupid insanity, my future would be tied to his. His failure would then become mine."

Mr. Stern laughed. "If what you just said isn't bullshit and you can keep my son in line, I might just approve of you."

Yumi's harsh glare continued even as the man walked away.

* * *

"How did this happen?! Why haven't you called the police?!" a brown-haired man cried out as he stormed into the office.

Mr. Delmas shook his head. "Mr. Solovieff I presume. The reason I have yet to call the police is that your daughter would be the one to be arrested."

"WHAT?! She's the one who was molested!" Mr. Solovieff barked.

Mr. Delmas merely pointed at Hiroki sitting meekly next to his mother. "I already have the events from them. It was your daughter's idea to see what a boy, who is fourteen months younger than her, looks like and feel."

"Is that true?!" Mr. Solovieff barked.

Milly nodded meekly. "I was... curious... and, well... he is my boyfriend."

"You took advantage of a little boy?!" Mr. Solovieff cried out in disbelief.

"She didn't hurt me. I wanted to touch her," Hiroki defended Milly weakly.

Mr. Delmas folded his hands together. "As you can see this is not a simple issue. And acting rashly or heatedly would be detrimental."

"Perhaps it would be best to wait for my husband to arrive before we discuss what to do," Mrs. Ishiyama stated calmly.

* * *

"Is something bothering you?" Natasha wondered.

"Nah." Odd shook his head. "Well, sort of. Yumi might have to move away because of what Hiroki did."

Natasha frowned. "Well, that doesn't sound fair, but it's not really that big of a deal. If your friendship is true, distance won't mean anything. While I haven't spoken to Emily or Henrietta in a long while, a week doesn't go by when I don't talk to Ilyana or Fredericka."

Odd laughed. "I'm quite sure we'd stay in touch with Yumi. It's just... doesn't seem fair to her and Ulrich. She's kept herself distant from him for the entire reason of not wanting to lose him because she got too close to him."

"And then her brother goes and does it." Natasha sighed. "Yeah, it doesn't seem fair."

"I hope she gets the right idea and becomes as guilty as her brother is," Odd said in a joking tone.

Natasha smirked. "I certainly know the feeling there."

"Oh?" Odd raised an eyebrow. "You've had a boyfriend before?"

Natasha nodded. "Yuri was cute. But he wasn't much of kisser."

Odd grinned and leaned in toward her. "Want to find out what a good kiss is like?"

Natasha covered his mouth with her hand. "Not yet."

"You sure?" Odd pulled away. "You could end up moving at any time."

"And that would be the entire reason why. Don't want to rush anything when it can all end in a day. I haven't talked to Yuri in eight months. If I kiss another boy, I want to be sure it won't be for nothing," Natasha asserted.

Odd nodded slowly. "If you say so."

* * *

Yumi frowned when her parents and brother arrived home. She could hear her father yelling at Hiroki, and was sure the neighbors could as well.

"Did you even THINK about the girl?! What you could've done to her?!" echoed through the house. "Just go to your room. No phone, no computer, no games, nothing! Just go to bed."

It didn't take long before there was a soft knock at her door.

"Come in," Yumi muttered out.

Mrs. Ishiyama slid open the door. "Have you had dinner yet?"

"Grabbed some food at school," Yumi grumbled.

Mrs. Ishiyama frowned. "I take it you heard about Hiroki."

Yumi nodded.

Mrs. Ishiyama shut the door and then moved to sit next to her daughter.

"So, what happens now? Moving to America or England?" Yumi spat.

Mrs. Ishiyama patted her daughter's leg. "Dear, the move to here had nothing to do with you."

Yumi glared at her mother. "What?!"

Mrs. Ishiyama sighed. "Your father was going to be transferred one way or another. They were restructuring and either your father accepted the promotion to France or he would be demoted to the point we'd no longer be able to afford the home we had. The situation you ended up in just became an excuse."

"So you made me believe that the move was a punishment?" Yumi hissed.

"I'm afraid so. It was to make sure you didn't repeat your mistake." Mrs. Ishiyama looked at her daughter sadly. "I know it may seem cruel to lie to you like that. And I don't want you to think Hiroki's punishment was unfair to you."

"What is his punishment?" Yumi snapped.

"He is going to be suspended for a week and has to write a twenty-page essay about why underage children shouldn't be sexually active," Mrs. Ishiyama told the girl. "Milly will likewise be confined to her dorm room for the next week with the same paper due."

"And then what?" Yumi pressed.

"What do you mean?" Mrs. Ishiyama wondered.

"Will Hiroki be allowed to date Milly, or will they be kept apart?" Yumi questioned.

"Most likely they'll be allowed to date." Mrs. Ishiyama smiled weakly. "In two weeks we're going to have a family dinner with them."

"So, there has been nothing preventing me from dating," Yumi muttered.

Mrs. Ishiyama shook her head. "Yes and no. While we would not have moved again, you have to realize that you have more to lose than Hiroki. You need to be more careful. If things went wrong with that Ulrich boy, you could lose everything."

Yumi stared at her mother in shock.

"I'm not as blind as I act." Mrs. Ishiyama smirked. "I know you like him."

Yumi blushed and turned away. "I know I wouldn't be able to truly risk anything with him. His father is the sort of person that will only support Ulrich until he's eighteen. After that it's a college trust fund and then nothing. If... things happen, I'd either be on my own or I'd ruin his future as much as my own."

Mrs. Ishiyama smiled as she nodded. "I'm glad you understand."

Yumi looked down. "I hope he doesn't ask about why I kept him away."

"He should know about Yamada-kun," Mrs. Ishiyama advised. "Love is about sharing, and secrets are the seeds of its destruction. If you want him to trust you, to know he'd never leave you, you should tell him."

"It's not that easy to admit something like that," Yumi whispered.

"If love was easy, there would be no such thing as divorce," Mrs. Ishiyama tried to joke, but it sounded rather hollow.

* * *

Odd slid down the rope to the factory floor and was surprised to see Ulrich sitting near the elevator. "Hey, what's up?"

"I needed to go somewhere Dad couldn't find me," Ulrich muttered.

"Another surprise visit, huh?" Odd shook his head. "What did he bitch about this time?"

"Grades and Yumi." Ulrich turned his head. "I punched him after he insulted her."

"Ah, that's just wonderful," Odd remarked sarcastically. "Can't say he didn't deserve it."

Ulrich eyed the boy carefully. "And what brings you here?"

"I don't know." Odd shrugged. "I kind of don't know what to do."

Ulrich looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"Natasha is a great girl. She wants to take things slow, which I appreciate." Odd then laughed hollowly. "She can't even smell anything, so my foot odor isn't an issue."

"Wish I could say the same thing." Ulrich chuckled lightly. "So, what's the problem? You want to go faster?"

"I should want that, but I don't." Odd growled in frustration. "Thinking about her doesn't do much for me, you know." He motioned below his waist. "She doesn't arouse my attention like Sam or even Sissi does."

"Well, that's rather crude way to view a relationship," Ulrich pointed out.

"Yeah, and how many times did you shake your bed thinking about Yumi?" Odd shot back. "If there's no flag raising, there isn't much point to it, is there?"

"So, you're just not into Natasha. Then break up with her. You're an expert at that," Ulrich pointed out.

"Actually, I'm an expert at being dumped." Odd shook his head. "The thing is I have no reason to end things with Natasha. She has passed all my tests. I should like her more, yet I don't."

"Then tell her the truth."

Odd jumped and whirled around. "Hey, Yumi, when did you get here?"

"At the 'shake your bed' comment." Yumi smirked at the boys' sudden discomfort. "Why are you up here?"

Ulrich's face was deep red. "Didn't want to intrude on Jeremie and Aelita if they were... busy."

"Ah." Yumi glanced at the elevator as it began to move. "You don't have to worry about your father. He's not upset about getting punched. He just left me a message to tell you that you had better ace your tests."

"Joy," Ulrich muttered.

The elevator came to a stop revealing Jeremie and Aelita.

"What's the verdict?" Aelita questioned.

"My parents are complete and total liars," Yumi groused. "Hiroki and Milly have been suspended for a week and will have to write a twenty-page paper about under-age sex and why it's a hugely bad idea."

Aelita touched her own chest. "That is such a relief."

Jeremie nodded. "Good. So there's no need to reset the day."

"At least you're not going anywhere," Odd added.

Ulrich merely smiled at the girl as words failed him.

* * *

Hiroki followed his big sister quietly. He knew very well that she wasn't happy with him. He didn't want to think about what he did with Milly as a mistake. It had felt so good and they hadn't gone all the way, and had no intention of doing so. His pants might've been pulled down, but he had yet to see what her panties covered, only felt it. Now he had to follow his pissed off sister to the library to research his punishment paper.

"Thank you," Yumi gritted out.

"Huh?" Hiroki blinked in confusion. "I thought you were upset at me?"

"Not you, our parents." Yumi clenched her fists. "They lied to me. They made me believe that if I had a relationship we'd have to move again."

"Ah..." Hiroki looked down. "No wonder you've kept Ulrich away. Does that mean you're going to do for him what you did for Yamada?" He eeped when his sister glared at him.

"Don't ever mention that name again," Yumi hissed.

Hiroki swallowed nervously. "Why? I thought you liked him."

Yumi sagged a little. "I do... It's just, things aren't simple. You wouldn't understand."

Hiroki folded his arms, trying to look defiant. "And why am I in trouble?"

Yumi pouted. "Hiroki, _I_ don't understand it. I had liked Yamada so much, and now if I found out he was dating I'd be happy for him. I can't believe how fickle I was. When I started liking Ulrich, I debated on showing him a 'good time' half-hoping we'd get sent back. Then I really got to like him and didn't want to lose everything."

Hiroki frowned. "Does that mean I'll break up with Milly. She is my first love."

"Who knows." Yumi shrugged. "It won't be easy to stay with her."

"I want to make it work," Hiroki vowed.

Yumi nodded. "As do I with Ulrich."

Hiroki kicked a stone. "What does 'bukkake' mean, anyway?"

Yumi turned deep red and whispered the answer harshly, finishing with "And I never did THAT!"

"That's not what the sixth graders back in Japan had said," Hiroki mumbled.

"That's because Megumi was a stupid blabber-mouth who didn't know what it meant," Yumi grumbled. "We're not talking anymore about this."

* * *

Sissi scowled at her mathematics book as if doing so would force it to make sense. At least the weather was nice enough to sit under a tree to study, if you didn't count the insects that occasionally tried to annoy or bite her. Glancing up she noticed that Nicolas was pages behind her, while Herve was switching to history.

The debate to ask Herve for help was a short one. She didn't want to look weak. Not to mention if she asked Herve, Nicolas would as well. Best to reread what she was supposed to do and if that failed she would bookmark it to ask Herve later.

Sissi wasn't entirely happy with her relationship with the boys. It would be hard to call them friends, but they were the closest she had. Herve followed her because he wanted to get into her underwear, and while she couldn't fault his taste, she didn't like him that way at all. Nicolas hung around being Herve's roommate and that he didn't have anyone else that would put up with him.

Distracting thoughts weren't going to get Sissi anywhere, but she wanted a break. A familiar voice caught her attention. She turned and caught sight through the bushes Yumi and Hiroki walking toward the school. The girl scowled at the boy who had threatened to get the school and her father in trouble. Then she heard a strange word that seemed to greatly embarrass Yumi.

After the siblings had walked past them, Sissi turned toward Herve. "What does 'bukkake' mean?"

"I can show you!" Herve smiled strangely at her.

Sissi threw her book, striking him in the face. "I'm not asking you to be perverted, I want to know what it meant. In words."

"It's a facial only a guy can give a girl," Nicolas answered. "Think it's a waste."

Herve rubbed his face. "I don't think so. I think it's rather sexy."

Sissi folded her arms. "It's demeaning to a girl, marking her as yours. As if you can claim a girl that way."

"The Japanese seem to be of a different opinion, especially considering it sounds like Yumi has done it," Herve tried to defend.

"I doubt she did THAT. She did just deny it." Sissi fidgeted uneasily. "But it would seem she did do something with a guy before she moved here."

"Going to tell Ulrich about this?" Nicolas questioned.

Sissi turned away. "He wouldn't believe it if I was the one to tell him. He'd think it would be another trick."

"I still don't get why you like that idiot so much? Sure he might be a little handsome, but he'll never amount to much," Herve grumbled jealously.

"I want him because he doesn't want anything from me," Sissi replied seriously.

Herve stared at her. "You're saying you don't want me because I want you, but you want Ulrich because he doesn't want you? That's stupid!"

Sissi shrugged. "That's life."

"And life can be really stupid," Nicolas commented.

* * *

"Is something bothering you?" Aelita wondered as she sprayed cleaner on her father's desk.

"I'm kind of worried about something with the whole mess with Hiroki." Jeremie sighed. "It's nothing I should talk about."

"Not even to me?" Aelita wondered.

"I stumbled on a secret. If it gets out, the trouble wouldn't just be with Jim getting upset at me. It could end a good friendship," Jeremie explained.

Aelita smirked sadly. "I know the feeling. I can't talk about something I've learned either."

Jeremie nodded, his eyes watching his girlfriend as she wiped the desk clean, her rear shaking ever so slightly from her movement.

"What are you kids doing here?"

Both of them jumped in surprise. They turned and saw a police officer at the door to the study. "Ah, cleaning," Aelita offered holding up cleaning spray and towels.

Jeremie nodded nervously.

The officer folded his arms. "This is an abandoned home. It's not safe to be here."

"This is my home now," Aelita told him.

"You just can't claim a house as your own," the officer stated firmly.

Aelita went to her book bag and riffled through it, pulling up a set of papers. She then offered them to the officer. Her eyes widened as she got a good look at his. She swallowed hard. "Ah, I've inherited the home from my, ah, uncle...."

The officer also stared at the girl for a moment before looking over the papers. "So... your name is Aelita as well."

The girl nodded, looking away from the officer.

"As well?" Jeremie asked.

"Mr. Hopper, her uncle, had a daughter named Aelita. One day they just disappeared." The officer shook his head. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about them, would you?"

Aelita pouted. "Only that he had worked on some secret project for the government. I don't know much beyond that."

The officer frowned. "That wouldn't explain his daughter."

Aelita merely shrugged, still avoiding eye contact.

The officer handed the papers back. "You look almost exactly like the Aelita I knew." He turned and started to walk away. "I became an officer so I could find out what happened to the girl who stole my first kiss."

Aelita's face turned deep red.

Jeremie's mouth hung open. After hearing the front door shut and seeing the man walk past the window, he hissed out, "His first kiss?!"

"I didn't remember him until I saw his eyes," Aelita replied sharply. "And I don't remember any kiss."

"Doesn't mean you didn't," Jeremie muttered in a hurt tone.

"And I'm more than ten years younger than him now. Even if he learns I'm the same Aelita, it wouldn't mean anything. Whatever we might've had then, which I don't even remember if there was, it's long since been over." Aelita poked him in the chest. "Besides, kissing someone isn't a big deal. What we've done with each other is all that matters."

Jeremie looked away. "Sorry if I want you all to myself. I don't want anyone else to have fond memories of you."

"Jealous much?" Aelita giggled.

Jeremie didn't immediately answer. "A lot."

"Well, I can't say about people I knew before Lyoko, but I don't remember any fond memories I've had back then that didn't involve my parents." Aelita hugged her boyfriend from behind. "You're the only one I love now, and I never want that to change."

"Neither do I," Jeremie affirmed before turning around to kiss her.

* * *

Yumi frowned as they reached the section of the library her brother needed. There was an uncomfortable silence as Milly pulled a book off a shelf while Tamiya gazed away.

"Milly?!" Hiroki chirped. "Fancy, ah, meeting you here..." He giggled nervously.

The girl blushed. "Ah... hi..."

Tamiya huffed irritably, but said nothing.

Yumi eyed one of the study rooms. With the glass door, it would not be private enough to do anything inappropriate, but it would give her brother a chance to talk to his girlfriend. "Why don't you two work on the project in there. We'll be outside to make sure you don't do anything stupid."

Hiroki shifted uneasily. "Ah, right, sure." The boy grabbed the book he wanted for research and followed Milly into the room.

Yumi moved to stand guard at the door, leaning against the wall and letting her see the young couple out of the corner of her eye. However, they weren't the focus of her attention as Tamiya pointedly stood with her back to the door. "Jealous or just upset you're playing chaperon?"

Tamiya looked away. There was no immediate reply, but the silence and the older girl's eyes finally made her crack. "Milly thinks I'm upset at her... but... I'm upset at myself."

Yumi blinked. "What do you mean?"

"I... I told Jim..." Tamiya trailed off.

Yumi glared death. "You betrayed your best friend?"

"Ever since she started dating your brother she stopped being my friend," Tamiya shot back. "She would go off to do stuff with him, leaving me behind. I wanted Milly back, and I almost lost her completely."

"You still might," Yumi hissed dangerously. "Once Milly learns what you did, she won't want to talk to you ever again. So what if she has been spending more time with a guy? Friendship isn't something you can betray!"

"Is that what Megumi did to you?"

Yumi jumped and whirled around. "Sissi?! How do you know?"

"I was studying in the forest," Sissi replied. "You know how bad the sun can be."

Yumi clenched her fists. "You're going to tell Ulrich, aren't you?"

Sissi shook her head. "Why should I bother? If I told him, he wouldn't believe me."

"Oh, really," Yumi growled.

Tamiya blinked repeatedly. "You were with someone besides Ulrich?"

"In Japan, before I moved here. And if I find a word of this repeated, Milly finding out will be the least of your concerns," Yumi snarled.

"And what's to keep her mouth shut?" Tamiya accused.

"What would that get me?" Sissi shot back. "Yumi pissed at me and Ulrich hating me even more. The one who should tell him is you, Yumi. Because, really, how much longer will your brother keep it a secret from Milly? And once she knows, there's no stopping it."

Yumi paled.

Tamiya folded her arms. "She does have a point."

Yumi growled dangerously. "You're just loving this, aren't you? This will give you the chance you always wanted."

"I wish." Sissi huffed. "I know I've been beating my head against a wall trying to get Ulrich to like me. Even if he stupidly walks away for something you did BEFORE he met you, he's not going to come to me for comfort."

Tamiya snorted. "If he did, it'd be meaningless and physical."

Sissi huffed. "As tempting as that'd be, I couldn't do that. Dad could get in trouble because of what those two morons did. With me, he'd lose his job." She then put her hand on Yumi's shoulder. "Your group promised to be friends with me, and I want to do my part. As a friend, I'm telling you that you need to come clean with Ulrich. If you really care about him, you can't keep any secrets from him."

Yumi gritted her teeth as she stared at the floor. While she knew what Sissi had said was largely true, she still wanted to smack the girl.

* * *

Odd stood at a bridge, watching the boats float past. Natasha giggled next to him at some comment he made. He sighed.

The Russian girl gazed at him. "Is something wrong?"

"There shouldn't be." Odd looked away. "I just don't know how to put this."

Natasha blinked inquisitively, while shifting uneasily. "How to put what?"

Odd kicked the railing. "Have you ever wanted something, but when you got it exactly the way you wanted... it just didn't seem as special as you thought it should be?"

Natasha tilted her head. "A few times with food." She then frowned. "You're talking about us..."

Odd nodded. "Yeah. You're everything I've been looking for, but I just don't feel anything."

Natasha suddenly laughed. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised."

Odd blinked. "What do you mean?"

"It's the difference between a fling and a relationship." Natasha gazed at the water. "I guess I'm the girl you would marry, but you're not ready for that. Right now, you still want the girl you'd have sex with, someone who's wild like you."

"Kind of... I guess." Odd shook his head. "I'm not looking for sex either. But, yeah, I guess it's you're not wild enough or something. I like being surprised."

Natasha smiled at him. "Sorry if I'm too down to Earth. Thanks for being honest. At least I'm the perfect girl, if a bit too soon, for you."

"Yeah, sorry. See you at school." Odd walked away slowly.

Natasha returned to looking at the river, adding a few drops of water to its flow from her eyes.

* * *

"Why do I get the feeling that you'd be less scared of XANA coming back and was out to kill you," Aelita commented.

Yumi laughed bitterly. "Because I would be less scared. I know what failure means there."

"Is your secret really that bad?" Aelita wondered. "Even though Sissi knows, you still haven't told me."

"If it was your secret, you'd keep it from Jeremie," Yumi told her seriously.

Aelita pouted. "Well, if you want to keep it from me, that's up to you. I'll just leave you to the one you need to tell."

Yumi blinked. "Huh?"

"Hi, Ulrich," Aelita greeted the boy walking up to them. "Don't let Yumi get away. See you both later."

Ulrich stared in confusion as the pink haired girl trotted off. "What did she mean by that?"

Yumi seemed to hug herself. "I'll tell you later." She then turned and started to walk away.

Ulrich grabbed her by the shoulder. "Aelita said not to let you do that."

"I'm betting she meant not letting me go after you find out..." Yumi trailed off.

"Find out what?" Ulrich questioned.

Yumi slouched. "There's something you don't know about me. Before I moved to France..."

"Doesn't matter," Ulrich said firmly.

Yumi looked at him incredulously. "You don't even know what it is."

"So? If it happened before we met, it doesn't matter to me," Ulrich returned.

Yumi glared. "Even if I gave a guy I swore I loved a blow job only months before we met?!"

Ulrich eyes widened in surprise, but his gaze then hardened. "Still doesn't matter."

"'Doesn't matter?'" Yumi growled. "Even though we've never kissed it 'doesn't matter' I got down on my knees and... did THAT?! I even swallowed!"

Ulrich tried not to grit his teeth, especially after he saw the disgust in her face from that last comment. "Guess you won't be doing that for me."

"Of course not! I don't want to get into trouble for doing something like that again!" She continued her rant. "I had even talked about marriage and growing old with him and in less than half a year after I left him, I fell in love with someone else. What does that say about me? That I'm so fucking fickle that I'd get over someone so who was supposed to be so important to me so quickly."

"No. That you're strong and won't stay down," Ulrich retorted firmly.

Yumi held a hand to her chest. "How can I commit to you if I already broke my promise to a guy I loved?"

Ulrich pulled her into a hug. "I'm not going to ask you that. I don't want promises."

Yumi broke free of his arms. "Yes, you do. You want me to say that I'll love you forever."

"Would be nice, but that's hardly realistic." Ulrich folded his arms. "I won't ask you to promise something I can't do the same. I like you, here and now. And that's all that matters. We'll deal with tomorrow when it comes."

Yumi looked at him cautiously. "You know I'm not going to do what I did for Yamada, let alone what Aelita does for Jeremie."

Ulrich smirked. "Of course not. All I wanted was two things."

"Which are?" Yumi asked defensively.

"For you to admit that you have feelings for me, which you have," Ulrich pointed out. "And for you to go to the end of school year dance with me."

Yumi returned his smile. "You owe me that anyway, considering you ditched what was supposed to be our first dance for Milly."

"And Sissi trying to steal me away or XANA attacking all the other dances," Ulrich added.

Yumi didn't know if she should believe him. If he had a relationship with a girl before her, she'd want to know and would be upset if he had done things with a girl.

Ulrich seemed to debate something before asking, "Just how far did he get with you?"

Yumi smirked, it did matter to him. "I would've let him do more, if he hadn't..."

"If he hadn't what?" Ulrich pressed.

"Yamada put his hand up my shirt, and... um...," Yumi blushed. "I hit him over the head when the jerk said that there was nothing there."

Ulrich couldn't stop laughing.

* * *

Aelita scanned the dance floor while wearing in a sparkling pink dress.

"What are you looking for?" Jeremie wondered, still wearing his normal outfit despite that they were at the final dance before moving to the next level of education.

"Odd and his mystery date," Aelita answered. "It's strange he wouldn't tell us."

Jeremie shrugged. "It wouldn't surprise me that he's still trying to find a girl who would go with him."

"If he had trouble finding a date, he could've gone with Natasha." Aelita shook her head. "Don't know why he dumped her. They seemed like a good couple."

"Odd said being around her was like being around you. Too much sibling and not enough... ah, lust," Jeremie explained.

Aelita folded her arms. "Hardly a good reason to let a nice girl go."

Yumi emerged from the crowd of students with a wide-eyed expression. "I didn't see that coming."

"What coming?" Aelita wondered.

"Odd's date." Yumi glanced over her shoulder. "I didn't think they could get along with each other for more than five minutes."

"You're not saying he's with..." Jeremie trailed off as the dancing students parted to give room for a couple who were taking over with an outrageous dance.

Ulrich walked up holding a pair of fruit drinks, immediately giving one to his date. "I'm surprised she hasn't said a word to me."

"Odd and Sissi?!" Aelita cocked her head. "Stranger things have happened. They'd certainly keep each other on their toes."

"I'd be more worried about them going for each others throats." Ulrich shook his head. "But really, I think Sissi is more the girl you screw and Natasha the girl you marry."

"Where does that put me?" Yumi demanded with a slight joking tone.

Ulrich looked away. "Marry, of course. I mean we haven't done anything more than kiss."

"You've kissed?" Aelita moved into the Japanese girl's personal space. "Why haven't you told me?"

Yumi flushed as she tried to back away. "It was just a few little kisses."

"I told you about what I've done with Jeremie. Why won't you tell me?" Aelita sounded hurt.

Yumi huffed. "I'm not one to kiss and tell."

Ulrich rolled his eyes. "Tell me about it."

"Tell you about what?" Milly asked as she dragged her date toward them.

"Milly, I don't want to hang around Sis," Hiroki protested.

"It's nothing important." Yumi waved the couple away. "Just go enjoy yourselves."

"Just don't enjoy yourselves too much," Ulrich insinuated.

Hiroki blushed a little. "Yes, big brother."

Milly folded her arms. "And how much 'enjoyment' will you two be having?"

"Probably nothing more than tonsil hockey," Odd joked.

Sissi scowled. "That's it?"

Aelita looked at the girl evenly. "I thought you were against personal sex ed. lessons. It would be bad for your father."

"We're not his responsibility anymore, are we?" Sissi pointed out. "Tomorrow we get to go home and be with our families."

"Joy," Ulrich muttered sarcastically.

"You can stay at my house and help me clean the place," Aelita offered. "So far I only got the kitchen, main bathroom, the study and my bedroom. That still leaves more than half the house to fix up."

Ulrich laughed bitterly. "Dad wouldn't allow that."

"I'll be around to help. And Sissi, they might not be your father's responsibility after tonight." Yumi motioned to her friends. "But you still are."

"You don't have to remind her," Odd protested.

Milly giggled. "Like she would let you get anywhere."

Sissi smirked. "I'd sooner get kissed by a dog."

"That can be arranged," Odd quipped. "But I'm certainly a better kisser."

Sissi glared at her date. "That ugly dog is yours, isn't it?"

Odd tried to look innocent. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Right..." Sissi replied disbelievingly.

"What is this about you having a house?" Milly wondered.

"Apparently I'm the niece of Franz Hopper, so I've inherited the Hermitage. Since it hasn't been lived in for over a decade, there's a lot of work to take care of," Aelita explained.

Jeremie grabbed his girlfriend's hand. "At least she won't have to do it alone."

Milly blinked. "Are you going to be staying _alone_ with her?"

"Not entirely alone, but yes I'll be there with her," Jeremie affirmed.

"With one bedroom..." Milly insinuated.

"Not the school's business," Aelita pointed out devilishly. "We've already moved into the Hermitage."

"Don't be encouraging her," Yumi growled. "They haven't kept their pants on."

Milly folded her arms. "I'm still a virgin."

"Only by the loosest definition of it," Yumi shot back.

Sissi began to shake and let out a frustrated scream.

"Don't get your panties in a bunch," Odd advised with a touch of nervousness. "There are no school rules against it."

"There doesn't need to be school rules when it's against the law!" Sissi hissed.

"Only if there is reason to involve the police," Milly corrected.

"Argh! Why does my Dad have to be the principal?" Sissi whined. "I'd love to get close to a guy."

"You certainly tried," Ulrich muttered.

Sissi pouted. "I thought you'd be worth the risk. Too bad you had other ideas."

Odd put his arm around his date. "There's no reason to be jealous. You keep looking at other people's yards and not seeing that your grass is greener. You've got a great Dad, good friends, a lovely body and an amazing date."

Sissi glanced at him. "You're not amazing, just a notorious flirt."

"I'm an amazing flirt," Odd 'corrected.'

"Well you can be sweet if annoying." Sissi kissed his cheek.

Odd blushed. "Come on, milady. Let's dance!" He dragged her to the floor.

"Jeremie, you too," Aelita announced.

"Huh? Wha?!" Jeremie nearly fell down as his lover pulled him toward the dance floor.

Hiroki looked at his sister then at his date. "Shall we dance?"

"Sure!" Milly chirped.

Yumi watched the couples dancing as she finished her drink. "Do you think we're taking things too slow?"

Ulrich shrugged. "Better than too fast. You read Milly's paper, right? The risks would be too much. Even if we wanted to go that far."

Yumi smirked. "Right. 'Even if _we_ wanted to go that far.'"

"You know I'm not going to push you," Ulrich told her seriously.

"And that may be why I love you." Yumi sighed. "William wouldn't have waited."

"Is that why you're not with him?" Ulrich wondered.

"One of the reasons. The attention was flattering at first, but he didn't understand that I need my space." Yumi glanced at him. "That's something you sometimes give me too much of."

"You don't make it easy for me to figure out," Ulrich retorted.

"We still have plenty of time to work on that." Yumi held up her hand. "Now will I get my dance, or do I have to beat you over the head?"

Ulrich laughed nervously. "Well, let's dance."


End file.
